Four years ago, SMI had the privilege of meeting Retired U.S. Army Sergeant Travis Mills when he spoke to our company.  We also invited the Scarborough High School swim team to listen to his story of commitment, determination, and courage.  The resounding message from Travis was, “Never Give up.  Never Quit!”  Travis served our country in Afghanistan and on his third tour he was gravely wounded after putting his pack down on an IED.  He lost parts of all four limbs and after beating seemingly insurmountable odds, he and his wife, Kelsey, started the Travis Mills Foundation.  TMF provides a retreat for wounded service members and their families where they can come together, at no cost, and enjoy facilities that provide them normalcies that give them hope and joy.

A key element of Strategic Media Inc.’s mission is giving back to local organizations with the hope of improving the lives of people who have been impacted by events beyond their control.  My wife, Leigh, and I recently attended a TMF event.  The fundraiser was aimed at making enhancements to the Rome, Maine facility that will greatly improve the experience for veterans and their families.

This event inspired us to make the decision that the Travis Mills Foundation will be the anchor of SMI’s giving back initiative because of the sincerity and effectiveness of their mission.  Our decision is inspired by Travis and Kelsey, and also by our fathers who both served in Vietnam, and our mothers who “waited” for them to return.  Military service is a family commitment and the TMF supports and celebrates that tradition.

Beginning this year, Strategic Media Inc. will pledge $100,000 per year for the next five years to help support the efforts Travis and his team are making to help others.  We hope that the SMI team will have the privilege to visit the Rome, Maine location annually to volunteer our time as a group and show our support.

At Strategic Media, Inc., we believe in the importance of personal development and encourage employees to seek out opportunities for continued growth and improvement. Not only does pursuing one’s own unique interests help expand our skillsets and make us better employees, it makes us better humans.

The pandemic has brought new challenges to SMI, but it has also brought opportunities. Despite initial setbacks in 2020, we have overcome obstacles and seen continued growth in 2021. We have hired new employees and expanded our Podcast team, onboarded new radio and podcast clients, and Q3 is off to a record start. Here are a few other recent accomplishments by SMI staff:

Liz Iversen, Copywriter, attended the Tin House Summer Workshop and was named a 2021 Tin House Scholar.

Emily Morris, Accounting Assistant, received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Matt Perkins, Traffic Director, will be ending a 5-year run on the South Portland School Board in November.

Payne Ratner, Copywriter, was a finalist in the Michigonne Fiction Contest. His story, “Eat Jimmy,” will be published this winter in The New Guard.

SMI staff across various departments attended the Podcast Movement 2021 conference. Attendees included:

Jeff Small, Founder & CEO

Christina Baeten, Director of Client Services

Brooke Murray, Director of Strategic Growth

Lisa Risk, Podcast Strategist

Robin Bunker, National Media Buyer

Vanessa Verrillo, Senior Account Manager, Client Services

Emily Cashman, Account Coordinator, Client Services

Abby Baum, Account Coordinator, Client Services

Alex Foster, Media Analyst

We are proud of SMI’s continued growth and development and look forward to what lies ahead for our team and our clients. To learn more about SMI, click here.

“Winter in Maine offers so many fun activities,” Small said, “but it’s very easy to miss out if you don’t schedule the time. I knew the fresh air, vitamin D, and time to unwind would help everyone get a recharge during the week that they typically can’t make time for. My hope is that by encouraging everyone to do it during their normal work hours, it will spill into some new weekend adventures too.”

Much of the SMI staff has been working remotely, with little co-worker interaction outside of the video screen. Small wanted to present a safe outdoor environment for people to see one another, and the skiing and ice skating activities did just that.

“Skiing at Sunday River was really fun! [I] had a great time catching up with everybody outside of work,” said Vanessa Verrillo, Senior Account Manager, Client Services.

SMI’s company-wide Mental Wellness Day allowed staff to spend much-needed time outdoors with family members and pets.

Working remotely from Key West, Christina Baeten, Director of Client Services, celebrated SMI’s Mental Wellness day by pedal kayaking. “It was wonderful to take a midweek break away from the hustle and bustle to get some fresh air and exercise,” she said.

Employees near and far appreciated the opportunity to rest, recharge, and focus on their mental health.

“The mental health day was AMAZING!” said Emily Cashman, Client Services Account Coordinator. “We took my 7-month-old son sledding for the first time. He wasn’t too keen on actually sledding but he loved sitting in the snow! It was a day that I’ll always cherish and have some funny pictures of him pouting on the sled to show his friends in the future.”

“We’re so lucky to work for a company that values mental health as a part of overall wellness,” Cashman said. “SMI has always promoted health and wellness, but offering opportunities like this reminds us how important it is to take care of the whole person. Happy, healthy employees lead to a happy, healthy work environment. SMI understands that.”

Want to know how to create a great radio ad? It’s actually very easy, find a great writer. I can guarantee you that you’ve heard a radio ad for one of Strategic Media’s clients. It may have been on the radio, or SiriusXM, or a streaming platform like Pandora or Spotify. It could have even been on a podcast. But it was written by us. Or, more specifically, by Liz and Payne.

Liz Iversen and Payne Ratner have co-written some of the most successful radio ads ever aired by Strategic Media, and we have the data to prove it. Our clients want to know that their campaigns are working, and the attributable data and reporting we provide shows it.

Our writers do more than write radio ads. Payne is a playwright whose plays have been produced in New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Portland, Maine. And recently Liz was chosen as a finalist for the Maine Chapbook Series. Her submission was excerpted from her novel-in-progress – and now she has to finish it! Congrats Liz, we’re all very proud of you.

Want to learn more about Payne and liz? Click on this link to read a little about them. https://www.strategicmediainc.com/creative-team/

And once you stop laughing at Payne’s bio, look at the rest of the SMI team and you’ll get a good idea about how much fun we have at SMI and how much fun Payne and Liz have writing team bios.

Strategic Media has been in business for 20 years and to this day our most popular blog post is the top 10 keys to writing great radio ads. Let’s just say our writers know what it takes to write a great audio ad, and they deliver.

To have your brand’s radio or podcast ad created by writing and audio experts, contact SMI today.

SubSummit, the world’s largest direct-to-consumer subscription conference, goes virtual this year! The 3-day event Nov. 11-13 will feature over 100 speakers and over 40 sessions. SubSummit connects industry leaders who are driving the evolution of how consumers discover, buy, and experience new products.

Strategic Media, Inc. CEO Jeff Small will be speaking on Wednesday, Nov. 11, about the five key strategies of a successful podcast campaign.

“My hope is for attendees to learn basic principles to getting started with podcast adverting,” Small said. “I want them to see the value in working with a trusted advisor and avoid costly pitfalls to increase their chances for building a profitable podcast campaign.”

Join SMI at SubSummit, the world’s largest direct-to-consumer subscription conference, on Nov. 11-13th. We’re excited to present Podcast is Exploding!: How do I generate a ROAS? and share five key strategies essential to launching a podcast campaign on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 2:00 pm EST.

If you’re in the subscription space, this is a must-attend event! 

Claim your free ticket: Tickets